sweeneytoddfandomcom-20200213-history
No Place Like London
No Place Like London is the song that is sung at the beginning of the film. It's sung by Anthony and Sweeney as they land the good ship Bountiful in the harbors of London. For Anthony, this is his first visit to this city, and he paints it in romantic, idealistic tones. But for Sweeney, it's an very uneasy return to a place that he once called home after spending fifteen years in prison on a terrible, false charge, and he has nothing but contempt for the city, as evidenced with Sweeney Todd's dark reprise of Anthony's hopeful lyrics. The song then segues into A Barber And His Wife, in which we have a flashback of the man that Sweeney used to be before he got sent off straight to prison, and of Judge Turpin, the man who sent him there because he wanted Sweeney's beautiful wife, Lucy Barker, for himself. Lyrics ANTHONY: I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders From the Dardanelles to the mountains of Peru, But there's no place like London! SWEENEY: No, there's no place like London... ANTHONY: (looking bewildered) "Mr. Todd?" SWEENEY: You are young. Life has been kind to you. You will learn. There's a hole in the world like a great black pit And the vermin of the world inhabit it And its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit And it goes by the name of London. At the top of the hole sit a privileged few, Making mock of the vermin in the lower zoo, Turning beauty into filth and greed; I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders For the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru, But there's no place like London... ANTHONY: "Is everything all right, Mr. Todd?" SWEENEY: "I'll beg your indulgence, Anthony. My mind is far from easy. In these once familiar streets, I feel...shadows...everywhere." ANTHONY: "Shadows?" SWEENEY: "Ghosts." There was a barber and his wife, And she was beautiful. A foolish barber and his wife, She was his reason and his life, And she was beautiful, And she was virtuous, And he was...naive... There was another man who saw That she was beautiful. A pious vulture of the law, Who with a gesture of his claw, Removed the barber from his plate, Then there was nothing but to wait, And she would fall, So soft, So young, So lost, And oh so beautiful! ANTHONY: "And the lady, sir...did she succumb?" SWEENEY: Oh, that was many years ago. I doubt if anyone would know. "I'd like to thank you, Anthony. If you hadn't spotted me, I'd be lost on the ocean still..." ANTHONY: "Will I see you again?" SWEENEY: "You may find me if you like. Around Fleet Street, I wouldn't wonder." ANTHONY: "Until then, my friend." SWEENEY: (leaving) There's a hole in the world like a great black pit And it's filled with people who are filled with shit And the vermin of the world inhabit it... Category:Songs